Chinese Teapot
Posted on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 5:59 am
Brick Tea
Technology has brought the modern world numerous forms of packaging and shipping. Sealed plastic or aluminum bags, custom boxes, foam containers, and paper packaging can be found in almost every product today, typically customized with the brand’s logo. Perhaps one of the first methods of packaging and transport, at least for the food industry, is tea pressed into compact bricks.
The practice of producing brick tea has long served the functions of moisture control, easy transport, and even early manifestations of branding. Tea that has been overly dehydrated results in brittle product that is difficult to handle, prepare and consume, while under-dried teas retain too much moisture and are susceptible to the growth of molds and fungi. Drying and processing the tea and subsequently pressing it into large square, rectangular, or even circular, disc-shaped bricks can regulate the moisture content and is conducive to easy handling and distribution.
Because the processed, bricked tea is still malleable, they are often found with ornate markings pressed into the tea itself. These often ornate impressions of both images and writing serve as both decoration and to identify the producer, variety, or grade of tea. In this way, inferior tea cannot be repackaged in order to disguise or misrepresent its origin and type. Ingeniously, the tea itself serves as both its own packaging and branding apparatus.
Perhaps the most important advantage of forming tea into bricks was the ease of transportation. Tea had to travel long distances from the mountains in the south of China up to Mongolia and Russia, as well as to the coast and on ship. So preservation techniques were very important. Additionally, in a time when currencies were not well established or accepted, brick tea lended itself well to barter.
Today, of course, with the proliferation of modern packaging and preservation methods, brick teas are largely viewed as an anachronistic curiosity. However (as is often the case with such ancient practices), there are those that are interested in this ancient practice who claim that brick tea retains a unique and richer flavor profile unavailable in contemporary tea packaging methods. In brick form, the process of oxidation is quite different than in the pressed and dried teas commonly found today, and the deleterious effects of light and heat cannot reach the tea on the inside of the brick. Therefore smaller amounts of brick tea can be used to produce a strongly flavored cup. Brick tea is also used in cooking, particularly in baking, but also for flavoring oils and other kinds of foods, and as an ingredient in tea-based concoctions.
To prepare brick tea, simply break off a piece of the desired size and steep it in the usual manner. Because they retain their flavor characteristics so well, brick teas are often amenable to multiple steepings. Often one can find fermented Chinese Pu-erh teas sold in traditional bricks, usually wrapped in paper. The combination of ancient brick-forms with modern advances in packaging and transportation gives tea lovers yet more avenues with which to explore their favorite beverage.
Add style to your tea time with a cast iron teapot, Yixing teapot, or kyusu.
Chinese teapot in China
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Adagio Teas Ingenuitea Teapot Enjoy the superior flavor of tea with this ingenious teapot. Steep loose tea as easily as using a bag. With three easy steps your tea is ready to enjoy. Step 1: Place tea leaves and hot water inside. Steep according to taste. Step 2: Placing teapot atop a cup opens a valve at bottom. Tea flows down. Step 3: Your cup is ready. Toss the teaves and place teapot in dishwasher. Durable, microwavea… |
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Thermos Nissan 12-Ounce Stainless-Steel Tea Tumbler with Infuser $15.50 Virtually unbreakable, this lightweight, vacuum-insulated thermos travels to work or your favorite recreation spot. On arrival, and for hours afterward, coffee, tea, or soup will still be hot. Or lemonade, pasta salad, or a sports drink will still be chilled. Compact (7 inches high) and shapely, this thermos has a “waist” for firm gripping indented in its satin-finish exterior and tough, nonslip, … |
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Rival 4071-WN 32-Ounce Hot Pot Express, White $10.18 A real time-saver, this 32-ounce Hot Pot boils water 60 percent faster than a microwave. The plain white exterior makes it equally at home in an office or dorm room, and the nonstick interior can be wiped out easily with a soapy sponge (the pot should never be immersed in water). Seven settings, from low to high, allow milk to gently warm or noodle soups to come to a full boil. A one-year warranty… |
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Octagon, Vol. 1 $12.35 … |
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Small Blue & White Porcelain Teapot Accent Table Lamp $76.15 Comfort food for the eye, this cozy blue and white porcelain teapot is a charming accent lamp…. |
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Chinese Teapot Lamp $49.00 LMP-JCO-X3409 Chinese lamp perfect for any home! Features: -Teapot theme.-Oriental porcelain lamp.-Carved wooden base.-Steel frame.-Hand applied textured glaze.-Three – way switch for variations.-Hand crafted. Includes: -Lamp shade included. Dimensions: -Overall dimensions: 8” H…. |
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The Bowl with Chinese Tea – 36W x 29H – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $51.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l… |
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The Tea Spot Steeping Mug, 3-Piece Handcrafted Porcelain Ceramic Tea Mug with Infuser & Lid, 16-Ounce, color: Blue Sky $17.19 Enjoy tea for one without the hassle of preparing a full pot with this steeping mug set by The Tea Spot. Hand crafted out of stylish blue porcelain, the mug insulates and keeps your tea warm and drinkable. The set includes an infusing insert for your loose leaf teas, along with a matching lid. Loose teas are known to bring superior flavor and freshness to your cup, and can be inserted directly int… |
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China Slim Tea Extra Strength (20 Teabags) $3.39 CHINA SLIM TEA is a 100% pure and natural herbal tea. It contains no preservatives, additives, or caffeine. This special herbal formula is uniquely blended from the highest quality berbs whose values have been established and tested in the Orient for centuries…. |
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China Slim Tea Dieter’s Delight 72 Tea bags (NET WT 6.34 OZ (180 g) $12.99 China Slim Tea Dieter’s Delight 72 Tea bags (NET WT 6.34 OZ (180 g) MADE IN USA, a special oriental pure herbal tea Dieter’s Delight! Extra strength. 100% Natural. A dietary supplement. Ingredients: Cassia Acutifolia Delile (Senna Leaf); Folium Sennae,; Tinnevelly Senna, Cassia Angustifolia Vahl, Panax quinquefolium, Radix Pancis … |
